Design to Make It
Our Approach
Design with foresight from the outset - driven by curiosity and investigative thinking - to create site-specific, efficient solutions that meet clearly defined requirements, enhance craftsmanship, and ensure successful realisation. Guided by creative problem-solving and a pursuit of innovative opportunities.
Raising value, inclusive design, sustainability, holistic design and teamwork underpin our design and management approach:
Raising Value
MARR Architects is founded on the belief that good architecture delivers lasting value. Backed by extensive experience leading design-led, technically complex projects in previous practice, our founder brings a strong foundation in strategic design and regulatory fluency.
We apply imaginative, pragmatic thinking from the outset, identifying potential and constraints with clarity to shape proposals that are viable, high-performing, and enriching for those who use them.
Inclusive Design
We believe inclusive design embraces the principles of good design—clarity, accessibility, adaptability, comfort, and beauty. It responds to diverse needs and lived experiences, shaping environments that are intuitive, equitable, and uplifting.
At MARR Architects, inclusion is not an add-on. It’s embedded in every decision to ensure the spaces we design are not only inspiring, but fit for purpose—serving the people who use them with dignity, ease, and lasting value.
Sustainability
Longevity and sustainability are central to our purpose and intrinsic to how we design.
At MARR Architects, sustainability isn’t an add-on, it’s embedded in our DNA. Our founder brings extensive experience from leading sustainability strategies on large, complex projects in previous practice, including new-build and retrofit schemes spanning housing, commercial, and educational buildings.
We work closely with consultants to evaluate sustainability options and deliver environmental assessments that exceed Building Regulations and meet the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) higher sustainability benchmarks.
We are well-versed in BREEAM, SAP, and low-carbon design methodologies such as PassivHaus and EnerPHit. Our approach is geared to meet the demands of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard, and retrofit frameworks including PAS 2035, Domestic Retrofit Standard, and PAS 2038, Non-Domestic Retrofit Standard.
Where possible, we retain existing building fabric to preserve embodied carbon. We adopt a fabric-first approach, demonstrated to be the most cost-effective route to net-zero carbon in use, backed by analysis from a leading housing developer client.
While urban constraints and programme needs often shape form, we strive to create low-carbon, healthy buildings that respond to context and orientation. We consider thermal mass, natural materials, daylight, balanced to avoid overheating, shading, effective ventilation, sensitive to noise and pollution, and connections to nature and biodiversity—all proven to support human wellbeing.
Additional strategies such as MVHR, heat recovery ventilation, circadian lighting, and biophilic design contribute to mental and physical health when carefully integrated and maintained. We believe cities offer a rich canvas for connection, culture, and diversity, and that inclusive places with artistic identity and thoughtful design can foster vibrant, resilient communities.
Ultimately, buildings and places must be loved to stand the test of time. We believe enduring sustainability is achieved through healthy, high-quality design that prioritises durability, adaptability, and beauty.
We are signatories of Architects Declare and committed to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets.
Holistic Design
We believe good design starts with careful thinking and ends with purposeful delivery. At MARR Architects, we take a holistic approach, from early testing, evaluation, and refinement through to final detail, ensuring every element works in harmony.
Backed by extensive experience on complex projects, we design with confidence and clarity, collaborating closely with clients and consultants to create spaces that are practical, uplifting, and responsive to real-world needs.
Our work isn’t hindered by regulations, constraints, or technical requirements, it’s enhanced by them. Through thoughtful integration of materiality, safety, buildability, and craftsmanship, we shape designs that are considered, durable, and deeply connected to their context.
Teamwork
We believe the journey is as important as the destination. At MARR Architects, collaboration sits at the heart of everything we do. We work openly and methodically with clients, consultants, specialists, and stakeholders, aligning around shared goals and a common vision to create joyful, efficient design outcomes.
We also reach beyond project teams, actively engaging across the industry to advocate for better futures in the built environment. We support diversity and inclusion in the profession, and follow pioneering groups including: HG+, Part W and Open City.
We actively follow leading voices and journals including Architecture Today, the RSA, the Developer, LETI, ACAN, Timber Development UK, Built by Nature, The Green Register, The Good Homes Alliance, the NLA and the RIBA